1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tracking people/nodes, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture for low-power wireless nodes that provide tracing of the position of the nodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
(Note: This application references a number of different publications as indicated throughout the specification by reference numbers enclosed in brackets, e.g., [x]. A list of these different publications ordered according to these reference numbers can be found below in the section entitled “References.” Each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein.)
The current radio infrastructure for wild land firefighter personnel provides voice communications but does not support data transfer capability for continuous monitoring of personnel in the field. Current radios require user interaction to perform manual voice check in for firefighter status. A new infrastructure is required to enable continuous, autonomous monitoring of firefighter personnel during a firefight via a remote command and control center. The system additionally needs to provide the capability to send 2-way alerts to provide early warning of impending danger to personnel in real-time and for indication of an emergency in the field due to a downed firefighter(s). To better understand such problems, a description of prior art tracking requirements and systems may be useful.
Preserving the safety of first responders in the field is of utmost importance. One component of safety systems attempts to track the location of first responders along with attempting to provide alerts both to and from such first responders. Unfortunately, prior art tracking systems often fail and/or are unable to determine the location of a first responder. In view of the above, as used herein, first responders include firefighters (e.g., wild land firefighters in forest fire environments), forest services, urban search and rescue groups, etc. In addition, it may be useful to track other persons such as soldiers in the field, hikers, mountain bikers, animals (e.g., tagged mountain lions, bears, etc.), etc. However, many environments (in which it is desirable to track such persons/animals) have a vast area, a lack of infrastructure, and very rough terrain. Further, it is desirable to track such persons/animals based on standard (fire fighter) supplies such as AA batteries, while also visualizing the person/animal location on a map-based display, along with the ability to receive alerts from such persona and send messages back to such persons via a graphical user interface.
One prior art radio based system is the Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders (GLANSER™). Glanser™ is designed for indoor applications, is carried on a firefighter, and consists of a radio, a battery (e.g., AA), and a suite of navigation devices for embedded tracking Two-way signals are transmitted at 900 MHz frequency by a USB-powered base laptop station in a fire truck to monitor firefighters.
Another prior art system is the Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders (PHASER™). Phaser™ monitors a firefighter's body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse. An alarm sounds on a laptop if the firefighter is in trouble and the location can be found via Glanser™.
A further prior art system is the Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responders (WISPER™). Wisper™ is a 1-inch-square, ½-inch thick, throwaway router that contains a two-way digital radio, antenna and 3-volt lithium cell. The routers form an ad-hoc mesh network. However, such routers are relatively short range and are designed to work indoors.
Further prior art systems include satellite-based communication systems. Such systems require high power transmitters that consume power. Accordingly, the continuous transmission of data in such systems is not practical. For example, the Delorme™ InReach™ system has a maximum update rate of about two minutes. The Delorme™ InReach™ system also designates delivery (of up to three pre-loaded messages) to email, cell phones, Facebook™, or Twitter™ and sends an SOS with the GPS location (with delivery confirmation received for all messages via LED). The Delorme™ systems provides the ability for others to track a person's progress online for mutual peace of mind. However, Delorme™ systems require user interaction and the use of a satellite link can result in a permanently obstructed signal due to rubble (regardless of proximity). In addition, transmitting large amounts of sensor data also consumes power. Hence, adding sensors is difficult. Further, clear line-of-sight to the sky is required for satellite-based communication. Consequently, no communication is possible if there is an obstruction, even if there is a nearby node.
In view of the above, it is desirable to have a system that has robust data relay between persons (e.g., first responders)/animals and a command center along with two way alerts and warning on incident command systems. Such capabilities are not currently available in traditional wild land firefighting radios. In addition, it is desirable to have a low power design that utilizes a wide range of sensors (e.g., environmental parameters and GPS location). Further, it is desirable to provide a visualization of person/animal locations on a map-based display with the ability to receive alerts from persons and send messages back to such persons from the graphical user interface.